IN a letter received by Osbaldwick Parish Council from Peter Evely, head of network management at City of York Council, he is wrong in assuming that the parish council wished to discuss with him the Traffic Management Act 2004.

What we said at the executive meeting was that we wanted to liaise with network management because in the Act it says: "It will not be possible to ignore the potential adverse impact of a development proposal upon congestion in the future."

Potentially any increased congestion arising as a consequence of a development could bring the authority into conflict with the Secretary of State, unless all of the policy objectives of the council have been balanced through an open and transparent debate.

If conflict in council policy cannot demonstrate to have been discussed and a decision made in corporate objectives, it could trigger the use of reserve powers.

I do not consider three minutes at a planning meeting is a balanced and transparent debate, and will be writing to the Secretary of State.

W M Kettlestring,

Yew Tree Mews,

Osbaldwick, York.

Updated: 10:35 Saturday, January 29, 2005